1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to animal husbandry, and in particular to a portable apparatus for use in connection with treating livestock.
2. Description of the Related Art
In livestock operations it is frequently necessary to vaccinate, palpate, artificially inseminate, brand, dehorn, or otherwise treat the animals. In order to perform these tasks, the animals must be restrained. Permanent corrals constructed of steel pipe, wood or stone and having alleyways with headgates for holding the animals have long been used for this purpose. The capital investment required for building such permanent structures is often prohibitive, however. This is especially true among ranchers with decentralized operations where livestock are run on relatively small, isolated tracts of grazing land. Furthermore, many ranchers lease, rather than own, their grazing land and naturally wish to avoid making permanent, fixed improvements.
A solution to this problem is to provide portable livestock working equipment. Temporary corrals may be readily constructed using prefabricated, portable steel panels. Portable livestock working facilities mounted on wheels, such as that described in my previous Letters Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,936, may also be used. Either of these systems, however, must be used in conjunction with a portable animal restraining device such as a xe2x80x9csqueeze chute.xe2x80x9d
Squeeze chutes are well known and effective devices for restraining livestock while they are being treated. A squeeze chute combines a traditional xe2x80x9cheadgate,xe2x80x9d which features a neck clamping means for restraining an animal""s fore-and-aft movement, with a sidewall squeezing means for restraining the lateral movement of animals of varying sizes. Such squeeze chutes are of unitary construction and may be transported from one working location to another using a truck or trailer, or they may be equipped with retractable wheels so that they may be towed.
One problem with squeeze chutes which have been used heretofore is that their operation tends to produce a lot of noise, which can range from relatively low-amplitude background noise to relatively loud impact noises. This noise is stressful to animals and operators alike. Even the relatively low-amplitude background noises or xe2x80x9cchatterxe2x80x9d can contribute to stress, fatigue and the like. The sudden, high amplitude noises, such a those that might occur when gates or drop panels are slammed shut, can startle the animals and significantly increase their anxiety. Moreover, as frightened animals tend to struggle, they can further contribute to the noise levels by shaking the entire chute and exacerbate the stress-related problems.
One reason squeeze chutes have tended to be so noisy is that livestock handling systems are typically constructed with a certain amount of play, or with relatively loose tolerances at their connections. Such tolerances tend to reduce manufacturing costs and also tend to make such units better adapted for operation under the types of adverse conditions which they are likely to encounter in the field.
My previous Letters Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,923, which is herein incorporated by reference, addressed this problem by disclosing a hydraulically operated squeeze chute with noise reducing sleeve bushings and O-rings in many of its key joints. These bushings and O-rings help reduce noise by preventing metal-to-metal contact between the various parts of the chute. While hydraulic squeeze chutes are ideal for use in high volume livestock operations such as those found at sale barns, feedlots, veterinary clinics, and large ranches, they can be prohibitively expensive for smaller livestock producers. In addition, hydraulic chutes can be heavy and difficult to transport.
What is needed is a manually operated squeeze chute apparatus which is quiet, easily portable, economical, and which still provides working accessability to an animal confined therein while assuring relative safety and comfort for both the animal being worked and those working the animal.
An improved portable squeeze chute apparatus is provided for restraining a large animal while being worked, such as branding, vaccinating, artificially inseminating, de-horning or the like. The apparatus includes a chute having opposing sidewalls, an entrance end, an exit end, a base having a floor, and a superstructure. The sidewalls are connected to the superstructure such that each of the sidewalls is rotatable about an axis provided by a pair of generally horizontally oriented stub axles situated near the lower extremity thereof Upper portions of the opposing sidewalls are interconnected such that they can be synchronously pivoted about their respective axes to selectively allow and prevent lateral movement of an animal positioned in the chute.
The synchronous pivoting of the opposing sidewalls is manually controlled by means of a chain connected to a pivoting control rod which is in turn connected to the sidewalls. A squeeze latch is provided to retain the opposing sidewalls in a desired position. The lower extremities of the opposing sidewalls are adjustable so as to allow the chute to be widened or narrowed to fit animals of varying sizes. Each of the opposing sidewalls has a lower panel which is pivotable about a lower extremity thereof to provide access to lower portions of an animal positioned in the chute. A lower panel latching mechanism selectively retains the lower panel in a closed configuration. The lower panels have planar inner surfaces to avoid providing footholds for an animal positioned in the chute. Each of the opposing sidewalls also has an upper panel which is pivotable about a lower extremity thereof to provide access to upper portions of an animal positioned in the chute. An upper panel latching mechanism selectively retains the upper panel in a closed configuration. The upper panels generally comprise a plurality of vertically oriented, spaced apart bars such that persons working on an animal positioned in the chute can stand outside and reach therebetween. One or both of the opposing sidewalls may be fitted with side exit gates which pivot about a rear extremity of the sidewall and latch at a front extremity. Such side gates are useful for sorting animals or for releasing animals which may become entrapped in the chute.
The improved portable squeeze chute apparatus also includes an tailgate which is connected to the entrance end of the chute and adapted to selectively admit an animal to the chute and prevent the animal from exiting rearwardly from the chute one so admitted. The tailgate has a pair of cooperating opposing door sections which are interconnected such that they move transversely to the chute between open and closed positions. The tailgate door sections are connected to the chute by a parallelogram linkage and generally open upwardly and outwardly from the chute. Opening and closing of the tailgate door sections is manually controlled by manipulating a handle connected to pivoting control rod which is in turn connected to the door sections. The exit end of the chute provides a mounting place for a headgate with a neck clamp for restraining the fore and aft movement of an animal positioned in the chute. The present invention does not include such a headgate, but headgates are commercially available from many sources. Noise reducing bushings, O-rings, and bumpers are provided between a plurality of the moving parts to minimize noise fatigue of the user and to prevent unnecessarily agitating the animals.